New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-28
CLAM ESA AT MEN AND THINGS
HINTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED FROM
PEOPLE IN PUBLIC PLACES

nas Drought to the Atihntc Coast many Ulu-tlme
miners and prospeeors. They are engaged In bring
ing capital to bear in the numerous mining operations
that have been stimulated by the ohespnsss OF pro-
duct0n and other One OF these old timers is
james f. Lyon He has lived In California for eight
or ten years and prior to that time resident OF
| Colorado. In alking about mining he said q" This
destined to be the greatest industry OF the country
We have undevvloped gold and silver than oil
the rest OF the world. The miues have only just been
| scratched over. l can remember when they used TO
charge $40 a ton for smelling. Well, 1t took
| mighty good 20 pay in those days. Now an ore
that will Yield eight or ten dollars q ton ia good
thing The cost of producing Ia not jnetbrd what 1t
| was la the early mining DAYS. We had then to pay
prices for labor, for material aud for food Now,
too, the industry has become settled one. In the
old days the only thought was how mucn the shares
| would bring, how much stock could be worked of
on public and how much har, est could be made in
that direction. Now We have got down to the point
| where we ipquirs how much mno will take out and
how much 1t will pay as legitimate business enter
prise. Talking about the surface only being touched
1 can remember In the old days in LeadvIlle that
bagful after bagfu ct brought to me Tor In
spsotion TO see il it contained gold ore. threw 1t
aside valueess without ever thinking OF silver ore.
OF which knew nothing. Other men came along and
! found the silver"
Mr. Lyon claims 10 have put up the first smeter in
Colorado. In telling about it he said: " IL was the
same year that Senator Hill came to Colorado He
was a guest at nv house at the time. SO General
| Frank J. Marshall, of Kansas who has prosoected
some OF the best mines the Pacific Coast and
knows mucl about minidg rs any man in America.
| Henry NJ. Stanley tho African explorer, was also
| with me out there for year. Mr. Hill has been
given credit for erecting the rst sneer but in fact
| | was ahead of him. lie cams out TO Colorado and
to making essays OF ore ut 50 an order. He
| had been Professor OF Chemistry at Brown Universe
IT,. invited him to my house and he lived there for
q year. Ii was during his stay with me that built
the smelter. He told me could not operate 1t with
pine wood for fuel. When the works were in opera
ton had him Ga in every day tor six months and ex-
anime the Stag II any OF the eal lett IN IT,
| lie was Obliged TO confess that my works were all
| right He went East and got capital to build
other smelling works on my advice. He was
bright aud able young fellow snd he learned quickly
| General Marshall, to whom Mr.. Lyon alluded Is
| in New York lie was the first Governor OF Kansas
| under the LecOmpton Constitution nnc Is veteran
| in politics we'll as mining. Talking about Senator
| Hill he said I" l remember our acquaintance at
Lyons because had business transaction with the
! Professor rs called him then. lie said to me that
he knew nc thing about getting hold of mining proper
tics. hut was certain could get capitalists IN the
East to take up any legitimate ventures. went to
work to control OF some mines. lie went East
to dispose of them. have heard that he got some
good church brethren TO take them. lie went to an
old Quaker OF Now En- gland and offered him half the
| profits to places the mi le The Quaker called meet
ing OF number Of church people. Before II came to-
gethe- he said to Hill Il presume thee can prayP
Hill was obliged confess his inability in that art,
when the OLD sad well, then, thee must be
sure to say amen at the right time. guess Hill got
la ali right for the Gu ker sold all the stock
after he had opened his little meeting with prayer
That was Hills FIRST start
Some OF the pecullarities OF the mining era
striking Mr.. Elnnwood, oil California, said For
several gears have been going out into the country
to little place called Yankee Hill Town to spend my
sumner vacations II Is fifteen miles from the rail
road station ~ Orogillr, in Butte County. Ii is
lightiu resort with small hotel and halt dozen
COTTAGES There IA q great barn back OF the hotel,
winch IL "A ridge overlooking n valley The barn
stands an Outcrop OF rock When went Gown
there this summer after an absence OF two years
found that the ridge had been Robbled up by mining
company which tunnel into II at tho lower
end, built mill and gone digging out ore some
200 eot below the surface IL that the rock OIL
which the barn stands /, ON outcrOp OF tho gold ore
and about Sl5 a ton. The hotol man had
gold mine under his property without knowing II ana
his guests climbing golden sias TO speak,
whenever they pu. their ieet against the HILL"
One OF the genuine hjsts u Nev-York, born
Boniace, Is Daniel Sprague. OF the Oriental Hotel,
opposite the Casino and Metropolitan Opera House
in Broadway. II was formerly the Hotel Madison.
Mr. Sprague was proprietor OF the Hartholdi Tor
time and before that at the ST James. He was
originily from Buffalo where President Cleveland
was for many years his guest. On one occasion.
both being Democrats, and living IN u ward which
gave 900 Republican majority, they had friendly
dsru to which should bear tho party burden rs
q candidate LOT Alderman. Each desired the other
to axe the race Thoy nnally settled ther dispute
BY the ancient method of Tipping a copper. The lot
ie OF Mr. Sprague. After lie had been duly nomi-
mated MI. Cleveland went about soliciting conpi,
mentary votes for Dan Just because he was good
fellow as he put II, aud not because there was the
slightest show OF election Tho Complementary bn't
high that Mr.. spraguo came within sky
six votes OF an election.
Naxr Xork laxcv
are seldom email prominent banker relates that
In a matter CT litigation he recently called upon the
services Of distinguished Wallst. attorney, whore
career in public life has given him great prominence
I he AFFAIR termnted IN settlement on'side OF tho
court, pending which so'no dinners we're given Mt
which the principals and their attorneys came to-
getner When the banker asked Tor bis bill from
the attorney The figures were $4,000 struck the
man OF money that this was u trite high, ana le
ASKED for an itemized account The itemizcd bill
read as fOllowt
TO attendance on 70 dinners Al Dcncn CO., $1,000
each. sloooo
Total. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. $4,000
The banker Is not likely 10 invite lawyers to dinner
hereafter.
u. II. Mo8at, Of Denver, president Of the Denver
and Rio Grande Railroad, fell 10 talking the other
dav about the cattle business, and the extensive
bond and mortgage operations that have recently
been carried in this country with cattle as the
basis Mr. MOfat is large cattle raiser "a we'll rs u
large money lender. lie shook his head and laughed
as he made this remark " | would as accept
mortgage security n school OF mackerel in New
York Bay AS q herd OF cattle"
Some severe railroad accidents have occurred with
Ia short time, consequent the failure OF employees
to give proper attention to tho airbrakes in use on
passenger trains. +. g. Mock, OF tho Rome Locomo-
tive Works. called attention TO the great loss Of lite
resulting from this neglect - In one OF the New
YORK papers," said he, e. q serious editorial
recommendation that the railroads should return TO
the old hand brake system ON passenger trains In
nv opinion the remedy does not lie in that direction
On mary railroads now the all brakes passenger
trains are supplemented by what we call driver
brake IL is an independent, auxiliary steambrake
which or crates on the locomotive drve-wbees alone
and in case OF the failure OF the arbrakes can be
operated by the engineer. IL IA great addition TO
the aalely OF vasse ngcrs and will DO generally used